Morning:
Today's message, "He Secured the Gift of Eternal Life," focused on Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul lays out mankind's need of a Savior very clearly in Romans. By the time we get to Romans 6:23, we should all be aware that we have incurred a lot of sin debt. Paul sounds the alarm: "The wages of sin is death." It is easy to look around in the world, and assume that greater sin or greater sinners are deserving of death, but not us. We think men like Jeffery Dahmer and Ted Bundy were rightly punished for their crimes, because their crimes were so horrible, so wicked, so terrible. We forget that before a holy God all sin is treason. God demands perfection, holiness, and righteousness but we have none. We all deserve death.
We All Deserve Death
We deserve spiritual death. Adam and Eve brought spiritual death upon their posterity when the rebelled against the Creator. Prior to their sin the were naked and unashamed, they walked with God, and they enjoyed life. After they sinned, they were ashamed of their nakedness, they feared God, and their lives became increasingly difficult and sorrowful. Because of their sin, their fellowship with God was broken, and their separation from him was symbolized through their forced exodus from the garden. Their ability to know and obey God was corrupted. As their descendants, we inherit a nature and environment that is bent away from God. As we grow, we sin by nature, but at time arises in our life when we sin by choice. In that choosing, we held accountable.
We deserve physical death. "It is appointed once for man to die, and after this the judgement" ( Heb 9:27). Because of sin, death is part of the natural order. The shortness of man's lifespan is actually a gift of mercy. If man were permitted to live indefinitely, he would only compound his sin, and increase his judgment.
We deserve eternal death. John describes a scene were Satan and his minions are thrown into the lake of fire, and with the the multitudes they led astray. We all deserve to be in that number. If it were not for the grace of God, we would all be in that number. The question shouldn't be, "How can God send anyone to Hell?" The question should be, "How can he let anyone into Heaven." We must always remember: sins against an infinitely holy God, are infinite in their offense.
If the sermon would have stopped here, it would have been incomplete. It would have done violence against the gospel. But it didn't end here. Hear Paul's words, "For the wages of sin is death." Now Paul lobs a verbal hand grenade into the mix when he uses the powerful little word, "But." He continues, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
But Christ Secured Life for Us
Christ secures life for us, where our sin could only bring death. But what is life?
It is spiritual life. The broken connection we inherited from Adam, has been restored through Christ. Now, we can walk in obedience to God. We can now fellowship with the Father through the Son. We can walk in the light as he is in the light.
It is physical life. Even when we lay this body in the dirt, it is not the end. Just as Jesus told Martha, "I Am the Resurrection and the Life, whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25, ESV). One day, those of us in Christ will be raised up in a new body that is incorruptible, indestructible, and immortal.
It is eternal life. Although it is a life with a beginning point, it has no ending point. It is life everlasting. Again John helps us to glimpse this life in Revelation 21:1-7. It is life of eternal fellowship with the Lord.
Closing Thoughts:
We either receive the gift in faith, or we accept the wages of our sin. We either turn to Christ in repentance and faith or we face the wrath of God.
(Bonus--I forgot these this morning, but here they are).
We must not live our lives in Christ with a "pay back" mentality. Gratitude is a natural response to the grace of God, but when we try to pay God back for what he has done, we insult him. If we assume that the meager offerings we can make, in any way equal the great sacrifice God made to purchase our redemption, we dishonor his gift. Love him. Thank him. Stop trying to pay him back.
We must remember eternal life is only available through our Lord Jesus Christ. Only the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ can satisfy the righteous judgment of God. We must come to him.
Evening
We looked at the doctrines of Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the Lord's Day.
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